Differences on ‘rebel’ tag for Tohana farmer protesters

Hisar, June 3

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders Rakesh Tikait and Gurnam Singh Charuni have come up with diverse views over the decision of a group of activists to gherao JJP MLA Devender Singh Babli’s house at Tohana yesterday.

Barnala man dies at Tikri protest site

Jhajjar: A protester, identified as Sant Singh (40) of a Barnala village in Punjab, died at the Tikri border on Thursday. The exact cause of his death will only be known after a post-mortem examination. Civil Surgeon Dr Sanjay Dahiya said Sant Singh was brought dead to the trauma centre at Bahadurgarh. TNS

The two leaders, who visited Jind today, differed on whether those “activists” should be termed as “rebels”.

Charuni said those who stormed out of the SKM meeting despite a collective decision at Tohana yesterday were rebels. “After consultations with farmers and the SKM local committee, we decided to gherao police stations across Haryana. But a handful of persons decided to gherao the MLA’s house. This is a conspiracy to sabotage the agitation,” he said.

Tikait, however, maintained those arrested from outside Babli’s residence could not be termed “rebels”. He said this while talking to mediapersons at Khatkar toll plaza in Jind.

“They are also our people and part of the agitation. They went to the MLA’s residence although the SKM had decided to gherao the police stations across Haryana on June 7. We will make them realise such steps are uncalled for,” he said, alleging the Haryana Police were provoking farmers by registering criminal cases against them. — TNS